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- RAM has announced that it will halt development of all-electric pickup trucks.
- Instead, the company has pledged to focus on an extended range of 1500 pickup trucks offering battery power and internal combustion engines.
- The company retrieves its name from the RAM 1500 Rev-, which is now a cancelled RAM track, and places it in range-extended RAM, previously known as the RamCharger.
The RAM is pulling the plug into an electric pickup truck.
Originally called the RAM 1500 Rev, the fully electric pickup was scheduled for the market in 2024. It was then delayed until 2025. Then until 2026. The deadline has recently been moved to 2027. Now, the automaker has cancelled its entire program.
“As demand for full-size battery trucks slows in North America, Stellantis will reevaluate its product strategy and halt development of full-size BEV pickups,” the company said in a statement.
Ram said the nameplate for the now-deprecated EV pickup will be transferred to what was previously known as the RamCharger. The range expansion pickup is projected to be sold in 2026.
“As part of this, RAM is renamed the Reev-powered pickup to RAM 1500 Rev (formerly Ramcharger). The vehicle will set a new benchmark on the halfton segment, providing exceptional range, towing capabilities and payload performance,” the statement reads.
What is a range expansion vehicle?
In contrast to electric vehicles with batteries, range expansion vehicles have both gas-powered engines and battery packs.
No, it’s not exactly a hybrid.
The idea is that a RAM 1500 Rev (formerly Ramcharger) uses power from the battery to power the vehicle forward. It feels like an EV when you drive. However, the battery is equipped with an internal combustion engine that runs on gasoline. There is no need to connect the battery to charge (but that’s optional). Just fill the tank and drive the car.
Range-extended vehicles typically offer a high-efficiency return on fuel costs, with RAM estimated 1500 Rev RAM to bring a 690-mile driving range to the full tank, pumping 647 horsepower.
Company-wide pivot
The announcement follows a series of decisions from RAM and other Stellantis brands (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat in the US), and brings back nameplates and products while promoting commitment to electrification and recommendations for the internal combustion segment of the lineup.
Our current strategic plan, titled Dare Forward 2030, was announced in March 2022 and focused heavily on sustainability and electrification. The fully electrified RAM pickup was part of that plan.
The Stellantis website disclaims, “Considering the current trends in market dynamics, government policies and regulations have emerged since the plan was introduced in March 2022, many objectives of market dynamics, government policies and regulations, many of our dare-to-advance targets are becoming increasingly challenging, considering that they will ultimately determine the speed and trajectory of meeting the target in 2030.”
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa spoke at the Economic Conference held in Paris on Thursday, September 11th, working on what the Pivot Stellantis brand has done since the departure of former CEO Carlos Tavares, who resigned in December 2024.
“We’ve lost a lot of market share,” Firosa said of the company’s performance over the past five years before he took office. “Why? Because we have decided to phase out a very important nameplate over the past few years.”
These nameplates include the Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Lenegade, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Ram 1500 Classic, Chrysler 300, and Ram Promaster City. Stellantis has revived versions of Cherokee and gas-powered chargers over the past two months.
“These seven nameplates meant a lot of profits, on average, at 300,000 units a year,” Filosa said. “So, business growth starts with the launch of products that consumers are waiting for.”
Filosa defended RAM 1500 Rev, which had expanded scope at the meeting.
“We will be (the pioneering) in the introduction of range expansion pickups in the US,” Filosa said, adding that the RAM 1500 will be the first large pickup truck in the market with range expansion powertrains.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and UAW from Detroit Free Press. Please contact him: lrappleye@freepress.com.
